Say When
by samuraiheart
Summary: A humorous and sort of sappy look what happens when the other seishi get involved in hooking up Tasuki and Chichiri. Warning: shounen-ai
1. Part One: A Little More

samuraiheart's Say When Part One

************************* Say When 

**by samuraiheart**

** **

*************************

Part One: A Little More

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_Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me and are the property of their respective owners._

_ _

_Warning: This story contains shounen-ai, which means there will be a relationship between two men (Tasuki and Chichiri) that goes beyond friendship. _

_ _

_This fic is happily spoiler free and very sappy. It doesn't fit into the continuity of the series at all so don't even try. I have no idea where Tamahome and Miaka are, but the other six seishi are staying at the palace during this little break._

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Tasuki sat quietly beneath a tree in the palace gardens. He gazed up at the clear blue sky and shook his head. He was bored. There was nothing to do here at the palace and whenever he was bored his thoughts always tended to wander back to the same subject – a certain blue-haired monk who had always been able to capture his attention. Tasuki sighed and leaned his head back against the strong tree trunk behind him. He had no idea when this had all started. When had his feelings for Chichiri gone beyond friendship? What was he going to do about it? He clasped his hands together in his lap and let out a deep breath blowing his bangs away from his face. This was getting to be ridiculous. He really should just get it over with. What's the worst that could happen?

"He could hate me for the rest of his life." Tasuki muttered dejectedly as his shoulders slumped slightly and he looked down at his lap.

"What are you mumbling about now?" Nuriko asked as he stood in front of the bandit with his hands on his hips. His long violet hair hung in a long braid down his back and he wore a white blossom behind his right ear. It really was amazing how feminine he looked sometime.

"Ummm… nothing." Tasuki answered weakly and frowned at the man standing before him. He was up to something and he wasn't doing a very good job of hiding it. Nuriko rocked slightly on his heels and a wide grin spread across his face as his eyes darted from where Tasuki sat to some place off in the distance.

"What are ya so happy about, Nuriko?" Tasuki asked as he stood up and stretched his arms above his head. He raised one thin eyebrow in curiosity and glanced in the direction Nuriko was watching.

Nuriko leaned closer to the bandit and cupped his hand close to his mouth as if he was about to reveal some precious secret. He ran his tongue over his lips briefly and his eyes sparkled with mischief. Tasuki wasn't sure if he should be scared or excited about whatever he was about to hear, but he shrugged and leaned in closer. Anything was better than pining after Chichiri all day like some hopeless schoolgirl.

"Have you ever wondered what Chichiri looks like without his mask on?" Nuriko whispered breathlessly. His voice ended in a slight squeak as he tugged on Tasuki's arm and gestured towards a path leading away from the palace.

"What do ya mean?" Tasuki asked defensively. Why would he be interested in Chichiri? Did Nuriko know something? He thought he had done a pretty good job of hiding his little obsession. Besides, he'd already scene the monk without his mask on many times usually as a result of some careful planning and a good hiding place. But Nuriko didn't know about those times of course.

"He's down by the lake and if we're careful we might be able to spy on him for a little while. He's got to take it off sometime!" Nuriko stepped back impatiently and pulled on Tasuki's arm again.

"Alright. Alright. I'll go with ya." Tasuki finally agreed and followed Nuriko carefully as they walked briskly along the path to the lake. When they were almost there, Nuriko gestured towards some bushes and jumped towards them pulling Tasuki with him. Tasuki was about to protest at the sudden detour, but Nuriko clamped his hand over Tasuki's half opened mouth and pointed towards the water. Tasuki's eyes widened at the sight before him as they both settled into more or less comfortable positions careful concealed by the green leaves of the thick bushes surrounding the area. There before them, just about ten feet away at the edge of the lake stood Chichiri.

The blue-haired seishi carefully took off his kesa and set aside his shakujou leaning it up against a nearby tree. He ran his delicate fingers through his bangs once and then carefully peeled away the magical mask that normally covered his face. He took a deep breath of the fresh outdoor air and opened his eye slowly to look at his surroundings. After a few moments, he bent down and leaned in closer to the lake. He gazed at his reflection in the water before him and quickly disturbed the image by dipping both hands into the cool liquid. He cupped them slightly and closed his eye as he threw the water up at his face and let the cool liquid drench his skin and bangs. He threw his head back as clear droplets of water slid down his cheeks and trickled down the line of his jaw caressing his face as they fell. His blue bangs were darkened slightly and pressed against his forehead in disorderly gatherings. The monk brushed away a strand that had dipped in front of his vision and began to remove his shoes. Tasuki's breath caught in his throat at the prospect of what the monk would remove next. He clenched his fists as Chichiri reached up to unfasten the first of several buttons that held his white shirt closed.

Tasuki's revelry quickly came to an end when Nuriko tugged at his sleeve and insisted that they had seen enough.

"Come on, Tasuki. We saw what we needed."

"Yeah." Tasuki said breathlessly and took one last peek through the bushes before he was dragged away by the other seishi. In that last moment, he caught a glimpse of Chichiri's deliciously smooth shoulder and strong chest, but not nearly enough to make it worthwhile. 

Tasuki frowned at Nuriko's back as they marched back to the palace. He was rambling on about something, but Tasuki wasn't really listening. Instead, the bandit was happily going over the images in his head and marveling at just how sexy a person could be without even knowing it. His thoughts were interrupted once again as they arrived back at the palace garden and Nuriko turned towards him with an angry look on his face.

"Have you been listening to a word I've said!?" Nuriko asked heatedly as he plopped down on a nearby bench and gestured for Tasuki to sit beside him. Tasuki nodded and took a seat. He searched his memory for some idea of what to say, but he came up with nothing.

"So, what do you think?" Nuriko asked determinedly.

Tasuki stared at him for a moment and shook his head. "About what?"

"About Chichiri, of course!"

"Oh. He's gorgeous." Tasuki answered breathlessly. Then his eyes widened at what he had just said and a soft blush spread across his cheeks. "Imean… I…"

Nuriko was more than a little amused by the situation and he patted Tasuki on the back and tried to suppress a grin. He failed miserably and began to laugh at his friend.

Tasuki frowned and turned away. "I didn't mean it like that." Tasuki insisted sullenly, but he knew there was nothing he could do now. His secret was out. He just hoped Nuriko would have the decency to keep it to himself.

"What's so funny, Nuriko?" Mitsukake asked as he walked towards the two other seishi. 

Nuriko brought a hand in front of his face and tried to stop laughing. He finally got it out between giggles. "Tasuki has a crush on Chichiri!"

Mitsukake raised his eyebrows in curiosity and looked over at the fiery-haired seishi in amusement. That was probably the last thing he had expected to hear, but somehow it didn't seem impossible. He crossed his arms in front of him and tilted his head slightly as if appraising the situation.

"I'm not gay like you, Nuriko." Tasuki said brusquely as he glared at his violet-haired companion.

Nuriko's eyes lit up dangerously and he patted Tasuki on the back a little more roughly this time. "So you like women, then?"

"No! I hate women!" Tasuki replied forcefully and jerked forward as Nuriko hit him on the back of the head.

"And you like men?" Mitsukake prompted evenly.

"Yeah. No! I mean…" Tasuki sighed and buried his face in his hands. "I don't know." He admitted weakly.

"It's okay, you're young." Nuriko answered light heartedly and his eyes danced over the bandit mischievously. This was certainly a new development.

"What about Chichiri?" Mitsukake asked.

Tasuki looked over at the other seishi warily and then shrugged his shoulders in defeat. "Oh well, yeah. I guess I kinda like him." His voice came in a soft whisper that both men had to lean forward to hear, but the sentiment was clear.

"Well, here comes the blue-haired seishi now!" Nuriko announced excitedly and brought one carefully shaded eyelid down to wink at Tasuki.

Tasuki tried to sit perfectly still as Chichiri walked toward the little group. He felt his cheeks burning brightly and hoped they weren't as hot as they felt.

Mitsukake and Nuriko glanced at each other nervously when Chichiri walked over to stand beside them. 

"Hello, everyone, no da! Why did it get so quiet all of the sudden, na no da?" Chichiri asked hesitantly. His smiling masked stared back at them with exaggerated happiness.

"Ummm…. We were just…" Nuriko hurriedly searched for some sort of explanation, but only ended up stumbling over his words and making things worse.

"Nothing in particular." Mitsukake finished matter of factly, but his eyes still held a hint of amusement and Chichiri was sure that he had missed something very exciting if it had made the quiet healer laugh.

Tasuki was trying very hard not to look at the monk and he sat rigidly with his hands clasped tightly in front of him. His cheeks were several shades pinker than usual and Chichiri bit his lip at the sight.

"That's okay, no da. You're kind of cute when you're blushing, Tasuki-chan, no da." Chichiri said offhandedly as he walked away back towards his room. He regretted the words almost immediately and was very glad that the mask hid his own cheeks because he was sure they were an unnatural shade of red at the moment. He tried to convince himself that he didn't mean it in _that_ way, but only managed to become more flustered when the word "beautiful" popped into his head instead.

After Chichiri was well out of sight, Nuriko, Mitsukake and Tasuki relaxed visibly. Tasuki slumped down in his seat and covered his face with his hands as Mitsukake chuckled at the absurdity of the situation and Nuriko babbled about what Chichiri had said.

"He said you were cute!" Nuriko insisted and tried to hold back giggles again.

Tasuki just shook his head and marveled at his own bad luck. How could he have let this happen? How had his secret become such a source of amusement in only a few short minutes? And now even Chichiri would know something was going on!

Nuriko stood to go and shook his head at Tasuki one more time. "You really should tell him. You never know. Maybe he feels the same way."

Tasuki rolled his eyes and bent his head. "Never." He answered firmly and followed slowly behind the other two seishi on the way to dinner. He tried to convince himself that this would all pass soon. Eventually they would have to forget about it, wouldn't they?

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continued in the next part


	2. Part Two: Just About Right

samuraiheart's Say When Part Two

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**Say When**

**By samuraiheart**

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Part Two: Just About Right

*************************

_Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me and are the property of their respective owners._

_ _

_Warning: This story contains shounen-ai, which means there will be a relationship between two men (Tasuki and Chichiri) that goes beyond friendship. _

_ _

_This fic is happily spoiler free and very sappy. It doesn't fit into the continuity of the series at all so don't even try. I have no idea where Tamahome and Miaka are, but the other six seishi are staying at the palace during this little break._

_ _

*************************

At dinner, everything seemed relatively normal or at least everyone was good at pretending. Nuriko and Mitsukake didn't mention anything about the recent revelation and Chichiri seemed to have forgotten about Tasuki's little blushing incident earlier that afternoon. Tasuki loosened up a little after a drink or two and soon forgot about the situation as well. Somehow they ended up on the topic of the Mt. Leikaku bandits and Tasuki was telling a story they had all heard way too many times. 

Chiriko yawned sleepily and rested his head on the edge of the table in front of him. Hotohori glanced briefly at Mitsukake. The healer nodded and stood to put Chiriko to bed. Nuriko watched Tasuki politely, but rested his head wearily on one hand. Chichiri was completely fascinated by the story or at least by the redheaded banded telling it. He sat leaning slightly toward Tasuki and his eyes sparkled in wonder as Tasuki neared the end of his telling of that particular adventure.

"And finally, we just couldn't take it anymore and we had no other choice. We had to tell him!" Tasuki continued. His eyes shone brightly with excitement and somewhere along the way he had stopped looking around the room. His attention was solely focused on Chichiri, which was a good thing since all of the other seishi had long since lost interest.

Nuriko glanced over at Hotohori slyly and raised his eyebrows as he gestured at the two men sitting beside each other at the end of the table. Hotohori tilted his head questioningly and wondered what Nuriko was trying to tell him about Tasuki and Chichiri. He looked at the two seishi curiously and pursed his lips as he leaned back in his ornate chair. He folded his arms in front of him and studied them carefully as Tasuki finished the story and Chichiri laughed enthusiastically at the bandit. The mage's mask smiled even more than usual and he clapped his hands in front of him a few times in appreciation. Tasuki leaned back in his chair and glanced at his friend approvingly. Hotohori laughed politely and then excused himself from the table. He gestured for Nuriko to follow him and they stopped just outside the door.

"What was that all about?" Hotohori asked. His long silk robes trailed behind him and made a rustling sound against the wooden floor.

"Isn't it obvious! Tasuki has a crush on Chichiri and I think Chichiri just might feel the same way." Nuriko smiled brightly at the emperor. Matchmaking was one of his favorite pastimes and it always put him in a good mood. He was fairly successful so far, but he didn't have too much experience yet. One for one wasn't a bad record though.

"Huh." Hotohori said quietly as the pieces began to fall into place. It really did make a lot of sense and it certainly explained the strange scene he had witnessed just then. "Have they told each other yet?"

"No. And they probably won't." Nuriko said frowning in disapproval.

"Unless…" Hotohori placed his hand under his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe there's something we can do. Let's talk about it tomorrow. Right now I think I'll head back to my chambers." The emperor yawned elaborately. "Care to join me?" The emperor winked at Nuriko mischievously and leaned closer to brush violet bangs from the other seishi's face.

"I wouldn't miss it for anything." Nuriko answered expectantly and slipped his arm around Hotohori's waist as they made their way down the hallway.

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The next day, all six seishi gathered in Hotohori's throne room and glanced back and forth at each other anxiously. Chichiri had an announcement to make.

Finally, Chichiri stepped forward and stood before the group with both hands clasped behind his back. "I called you all here for a reason, no da. I have a new spell, na no da!" He declared excitedly in his high-pitched voice.

With a wave of his hands and a few carefully pronounced syllables, the air in front of him began to shimmer slightly.

The others held their breath in anticipation and stared at the spot in front of Chichiri until the sparkles faded away.

"That's it, no da!" Chichiri stated simply and glanced around at his friends for approval.

"What did you do?" Chiriko asked.

"What do you mean, no da?" Chichiri tilted his head and stared back at the youngest seishi.

"Nothing happened!" Chiriko insisted.

Mitsukake stepped forward slightly and placed a hand on Chiriko's shoulder. "I think what he means, Chichiri, is why don't you tell us exactly what you can use this spell for?"

Chichiri leaned back slightly on his heels and seemed to contemplate this for a moment. He finally threw his hands up in the air. "It's a distraction spell, no da! It doesn't do anything exactly, but the point is that it looks like it does, no da. Our enemies will expect something to happen, but nothing will, no da." 

"That's brilliant!" Tasuki said emphatically. He ran his hands through his orange bangs and gazed at the monk standing a few feet away from him. His cheeks were slightly flushed and his eyes were bright with adoration. 

"Uh… okay…" Nuriko said as he glanced back and forth between Chichiri and Tasuki. Here we go again.

"Thank you, Tasuki, no da. I've been working on it for months, na no da!" Chichiri answered cheerfully. The monk was completely oblivious.

Hotohori gazed at the mage in disbelief. "This is what you've been working on for months?" 

"Yes, your majesty, no da. It's a very complicated spell, na no da." Chichiri said assertively.

Tasuki nodded appreciatively. "Yes and it's very useful." 

"Yes it is, no da." Chichiri just kept smiling and nodding.

"But it doesn't do anything!" Chiriko insisted.

Mitsukake shook his head and smirked slightly at the youngest seishi. He would have to teach him about subtlety sometime.

"That's the point, no da!" Chichiri exclaimed again.

"Exactly! What a wonderful spell!" Tasuki announced excitedly. He didn't seem to notice the objections. His attention was clearly focused elsewhere.

"Does anyone want to see it again, no da?" Chichiri asked hesitantly. Maybe they just hadn't caught it the first time around.

"I'd love ta see it again!" Tasuki answered a little too quickly. 

Nuriko rolled his eyes and Chiriko brought his hand up to his forehead in annoyance. Hotohori shook his head. "Not right now, Chichiri. I think we all have things we have to attend to. Maybe some other time."

"Okay, no da." Chichiri nodded and turned towards Tasuki who was still beaming in his direction. "Maybe we should wait, then, no da."

Tasuki frowned and hung his head in disappointment. "Yeah." He said flatly as Chichiri turned to go and they all headed off to do other things.

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Nuriko, Hotohori, Mitsukake, and Chiriko gathered in the emperor's chambers in the afternoon of the next day.

"Where are Chichiri and Tasuki?" Hotohori asked.

"Probably practicing that new spell." Nuriko said while rolling his eyes in mock disgust.

Mitsukake smirked. "They really are hopeless."

"So what are we going to do?" Chiriko asked innocently.

"Should he really be here?" Hotohori looked warily at the youngest seishi and then back at the others.

"It's okay. He knows and he's fine with it." Mitsukake patted Chiriko lightly on the shoulder and nodded.

"It's sooooo obvious! I'm surprised you all didn't notice it earlier." Chiriko waved his hands in front of him and shook his head at the rest of the group. 

"Anyway, what's the plan?" Nuriko continued. They really should get this over with quickly. Chichiri and Tasuki could show up at any moment.

"Well, we need to get them together somehow and force them to talk things over, but we can't be too obvious about it." Hotohori furrowed his eyebrows and tried to concentrate on a way to accomplish what they wanted.

After a few moments of silence, Nuriko came up with an idea. "Hmmmm… what if we locked them in a room somehow?" 

"Yeah and we wouldn't let them out until they both confessed!" Mitsukake finished.

"But-" Chiriko stood on his tiptoes and tugged on Mitsukake's sleeve. The older man shrugged him away and warned him about distracting them.

"Quiet, Chiriko we're planning."

"But I-" Chiriko's voice was now a high-pitched whine.

"Later, Chiriko. I think this could work." Nuriko nodded and glared at the youngest seishi.

After some carefully hurried planning and a few consultations, they were ready. The four seishi gathered in a narrow hallway near the main dining hall and whispered the last few steps to their plan.

"Do you have the key?" Hotohori looked up at Nuriko anxiously and glanced up and down the hallway twice just to make sure that no one had heard.

Nuriko removed the shiny metal object from a fold in his sleeve. He placed it carefully in Hotohori's palm and nodded. "Let's do it."

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continued in the next part


	3. Part Three: Too Much

samuraiheart's Say When Part Three

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** **

Say When 

**By samuraiheart**

** **

************************* 

Part Three: Too Much

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_Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me and are the property of their respective owners._

_ _

_Warning: This story contains shounen-ai, which means there will be a relationship between two men (Tasuki and Chichiri) that goes beyond friendship. _

_ _

_This fic is happily spoiler free and very sappy. It doesn't fit into the continuity of the series at all so don't even try. I have no idea where Tamahome and Miaka are, but the other six seishi are staying at the palace during this little break._

*************************

"Hi, Chichiri! Hi, Tasuki!" Nuriko shouted as he neared the clearing where Tasuki and Chichiri were sitting. He waved enthusiastically at the pair and leaned down closer to them.

"Hi, Nuriko, no da." Chichiri said cautiously.

"Hey." Tasuki looked up at the violet-haired seishi warily. There was no telling what he was up to now.

"Uh, Hotohori-sama wants to speak with you both!" Nuriko announced cheerfully. He held out both hands to help the other two seishi stand and then began to pull them in the direction of the palace.

"Okay, no da. Where is he?" Chichiri pulled his hand away from Nuriko's grasp and began walking beside him.

"Uh. He's in that storage room across from the dining hall." Nuriko said nervously. This was the part they had never exactly been able to explain.

"He is? That's a little strange. Why does he want ta meet us in there?" Tasuki felt Nuriko's grip on his arm tighten.

"It's… ummm…. Well, it's really important and he wants to keep it a secret." Nuriko finished hurriedly. He hoped they wouldn't ask any more questions.

"Alright." Tasuki answered reluctantly and glanced over at the blue-haired monk standing on the other side of Nuriko.

Chichiri shrugged and turned towards the entrance. "We'll be right there, no da."

"Okay, He'll be waiting." Nuriko rushed off quickly in the direction of the dining hall and glanced back briefly to make sure that Tasuki and Chichiri weren't too far behind.

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"Did they buy it?" Hotohori whispered as Nuriko rushed around the corner and into the dining hall. 

"Yeah. I think so." Nuriko answered breathlessly.

It was still too early for dinner and the room was not well lit between meals. The four seishi crept within the shadows and peered cautiously in the direction of the room across the hall.

"Shhhh! Here they come!" Mitsukake said as the sound of two sets of footsteps echoed in the small corridor.

"Guys, what about-" Chiriko started to object, but was quickly silenced by Nuriko's hand clamped over his mouth.

"Shhhh!" Nuriko insisted as the two unsuspecting seishi came into view. The four conspirators gazed at them through a small crack in the door and hoped they wouldn't think to look in this direction.

"I wonder what he wants with us." Tasuki said softly as they turned the corner.

"I don't know, no da. I guess we'll find out na no da." Chichiri shrugged and walked into the room across from the dining hall. It was poorly lit and looked relatively empty.

"Hello?" Tasuki said loudly. His voice echoed in the bare room.

"There's no one here, no da." Chichiri said hesitantly.

His declaration was quickly followed by a loud SLAM and the sound of muffled laughter from the hallway. 

"What happened?" Tasuki asked as he walked towards the front of the room and leaned against one of the walls.

"I think someone locked the door, no da." Chichiri tugged at the handle, but it was no use. They were clearly trapped and it didn't seem to be an accident.

"Why would they do that?" Tasuki frowned.

"I think we've been set up, no da." Chichiri ran his hand through his bangs nervously and shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Tasuki took a step closer to the monk and placed a hand on the other's shoulder. 

"Listen, I hear giggling, na no da. I think it's Nuriko-chan, no da." The monk gestured toward the door and sure enough the familiar sound of Nuriko's laugh echoed in the hallway.

"Oh no! I should've known they'd do something like this!" Tasuki shook his head and ran both hands through his hair.

"Why, no da?" Chichiri tilted his head and looked at his friend inquisitively. 

"Well, ya see, I kinda told 'em that I liked ya and they're probably trying to get me to confess to ya cuz they think ya like me too." Tasuki looked down at his feet and rocked slightly on his heels.

"I see, no da." Chichiri answered quietly.

"What are we going to do now?" Tasuki asked dejectedly. He looked up at the other man for some sort of explanation. 

"I don't know, no da." Chichiri admitted weakly, but it sounded like he was trying to suppress laughter of his own.

"Do ya think we should tell 'em we already talked this over last night?" Tasuki asked tentatively, but there was a spark in his gaze as he snaked his arm around Chichiri's shoulders and grinned at him. 

"Nah, no da. Let them figure it out on their own na no da." Chichiri couldn't hold back the laughter much longer and he turned to bury his face in Tasuki's strong shoulder and looked up at his newfound love with a wide grin of his own.

"We can teleport out of here right?" Tasuki asked.

"Right no da. Where do you want to go na no da?" Chichiri whispered. His warm breath brushed against Tasuki's neck.

"How about where we were last night?" Tasuki suggested.

"Okay no da. By the lake, na no da." Chichiri nodded and brought his hands up in front of him so that he could cast the spell to take them away from there. 

*************************

After a few minutes, the other seishi began to get bored with the situation. Hotohori leaned against the door and pressed his ear up against the surface. "It's awfully quiet in there." 

Chiriko sighed and shook his head elaborately. "I tried to tell you!"

Nuriko glanced at the boy thoughtfully and Mitsukake bent down to look at him more closely "What were you trying to tell us?" he asked.

"Chichiri can teleport!" Chiriko shouted in a high-pitched proclamation.

"Oh." Hotohori said dejectedly and shook his head.

"Oops." Nuriko winced and looked down at his feet.

"I guess we kind of forgot about that little technicality." Mitsukake added.

"I wonder where they went." Hotohori asked after they finally unlocked the door only to discover an empty room. 

"Poor Tasuki. I really thought this would work!" Nuriko whined and shook his head. Maybe his matchmaking success was only limited to himself.

"I guess we'll just have to try something different tomorrow." Mitsukake replied quietly and they all shrugged their shoulders and wandered off to attend to other things.

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"Ahhhh…. This is much better, no da." Chichiri said warmly as he snuggled deeper into Tasuki's lap and laid his head against Tasuki's chest. 

"Yep." Tasuki agreed and ran his hand through Chichiri's light blue bangs as they stared out at the lake before them. The shimmering water lapped against the shore and the sound provided the perfect backdrop for a lovely evening.

Tasuki ran his hands along Chichiri's slender shoulders and over the smooth cloth of Chichiri's kesa. Chichiri sighed contentedly and looked up at the redheaded bandit and smiled.

Tasuki leaned closer to the monk for a moment and then paused just a few inches away. "Why don't ya take off your mask, Chichiri?"

Chichiri pulled himself up into a sitting position and turned to face his friend. "Why, no da?"

"I want ta see all of you." Tasuki answered breathlessly.

"All of me, no da?" Chichiri responded teasingly, but his voice was deeper than normal and laced with a hint of tenderness.

A brilliant blush crept over Tasuki's features as he bit his lip and shook his head slightly. "Ya know what I mean." He said quietly.

Chichiri nodded and bent his head slightly as he brought his hand up to the edge of the mask and pulled it away slowly. He closed his eye and waited for a reaction from his friend as he lay the magical covering aside and held his breath in anticipation. His heart beat quickly in his chest and fear danced inside his thoughts when Tasuki didn't say anything.

Chichiri opened his eye and gasped slightly as he felt Tasuki's hand cup his cheek and one elegant finger traced its way over the length of his scar and made its way over Chichiri's trembling lips. 

"You're beautiful, Chiri-chan." Tasuki whispered and bent closer to press his lips against Chichiri's forehead in a delicate kiss.

Chichiri's breath caught in his throat and a thousand words of protest floated to the surface of his thoughts, but they all drowned in the look in Tasuki's eyes when he placed a hand under Chichiri's chin and lifted his face up so that their eyes could meet.

Chichiri wanted to answer him back and tell the younger man how gorgeous he was as well, but words became useless when he felt Tasuki's lips on his and he wrapped his arms around the redhead's broad shoulders and moved his mouth against Tasuki's.

He threw all of the passion and wonder he felt into that kiss and Tasuki moaned softly as Chichiri thrust his tongue into the bandit's mouth and reached out to taste the warmth and sweetness of Tasuki's kiss.

They sat together and marveled at the wonder of it all until long after the sun had set and the stars sparkled above them in the velvety black sky and danced across the glossy surface of the lake below.

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The next day at breakfast, Nuriko, Hotohori, Chiriko and Mitsukake gathered in the dining hall around a long wooden table and waited patiently for the other two of their friends to show up. They glanced at each other nervously and searched for some kind of conversation to fill up the space between them.

Tasuki walked into the room with his head held high and a definite sparkle in his eye, but his good mood was lost on the other seishi who only looked at him with pity.

Nuriko patted him gently on the back before he took his seat and Hotohori shrugged in his direction.

Tasuki just shook his head and glanced back at the door as Chichiri came in. The monk walked over to stand beside Tasuki and placed his arm around the bandit's shoulder. Then he leaned forward to place a light kiss on Tasuki's cheek and then reached up to remove his mask.

The other seishi stared at the scene in amazement as Chichiri looked down at his feet and then back up at the others. "We kind of have something to tell you all, no da."

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~Owari~


End file.
